Boeing A75N1(PT17) accident near Evansville, Indiana, April 13, 2023
On April 13, 2023 at about 10:45 am local time, a 1940 Boeing A75N1(PT17), registered N50142, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Evansville, Indiana (Evansville Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to engage the tailwheel lock before landing which resulted in the loss of control and ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2023 · about 10:45 am local time
- Place
- Evansville, Indiana · Evansville Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N1(PT17), built 1940 · all A75N1(PT17)s on the register
- Registration
- N50142 · registry record · serial 75-962
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while performing a three-point landing on runway 18, during the roll out the airplane veered left, exited the runway to the left, and ground looped in the counter-clockwise direction. During the ground loop, the right wing struck the ground and the airplane came to rest upright on the main landing gear. The right aileron sustained substantial damage. After the accident sequence the pilot noted that the tailwheel lock was not fully in the locked position. The pilot was able to taxi the airplane to parking without further incident. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incomplete action › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,070 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 5,062 as pilot in command; 1,700 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 28, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,682.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 2022; 10.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-6N (piston); 2,060 hours total
- Operator: Evansville P-47 Foundation INC
The flight
- Departed from: 3EV Evansville IN at 3:33 pm
- Destination: EEV Evansville IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 6,286 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 am from KEVV, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KEVV 131554Z 10SM CLR 23/04 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP155 T02330044
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 7, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.